Paid Lunch Equity (PLE)
School Year 2025
The PLE requirements apply to SFAs that charge students for meals.
On March 20, 2024, FNS released SP 14-2024, Paid Lunch Equity: Guidance for School Year 2024-2025. This memo provides guidance on the Paid Lunch Equity Requirements for School Year 2024-2025. Only SFAs that charge students for meals and had a negative balance in the nonprofit school food service account as of June 30, 2023, shall be required to establish a price for paid lunches according to the PLE provisions. SFAs that charge students for meals and have a positive or zero balance in the nonprofit school food service account as of June 30, 2023, are exempt from PLE pricing requirements.
- PLE Guidance Memo
- PLE Tool
- PLE Tool Calculator Flow Chart
- PLE Exemption Request FormÌý- SFAs with a positive or zero balanceÌý in the nonprofit school food service account as of June 30, 2023 may request an exemption to the PLE pricing requirements.
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Pricing and Charging Resources
- Unallowable CostsÌý(pdf)
- SP46-2016 Unpaid Meal Charges: Local Meal Charge PoliciesÌý(pdf)
- SP47-2016 Unpaid Meal Charges: Clarification on Collection of Delinquent Meal PaymentsÌý(pdf)
- Equity in School Lunch Pricing Regulation
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USDA Instructions for Adult Pricing
. (pdf) USDA instruction sets forth the policy on pricing of meals served to adults under the National School Lunch, Commodity School, and School Breakfast Programs in participating schools and institutions which claim reimbursement under Sections 4 and 11 of the National School Lunch Act and Section 4 of the Child Nutrition Act.
Adult Visitors:ÌýThe charge to adult visitors, at the discretion of school officials, may be higher than the charge paid by adult school employees.
School Food Service Employees:ÌýMeals served to cafeteria employeesÌýdirectly involvedÌýin the operation and administration of the breakfast and lunch programs (e.g., managers, cooks, servers, etc.) may be served at no charge and considered as a fringe benefit attributable to program costs. Therefore, the cost of such meals may be paid from program funds. Charging school food service employees for meals is left to the discretion of school officials.
Other School District Employees:ÌýThe benefits of the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs are for children only. The reimbursement and commodities received by schools are based on the number of lunches and breakfasts served to students.
No reimbursement or USDA Food is provided for meals served to adults.